2. Mikhail Gorbachev

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A reformer at home with an unusually diplomatic approach to foreign policy, Gorbachev was a popular figure in the West, credited with backing the Soviet Union down from its Cold War mentality. He inherited the leadership of a country that had seen three leaders in three years, and he took steps throughout the '80s toward demilitarization and away from nuclear proliferation. Though eventually ousted by a coup, briefly returning to power, and finally being forced to resign, Gorbachev went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in bringing Cold War hostilities to an end.